1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in trailer hitching and trailer tracking systems. More particularly, the present trailering improvements include an adjustable hitching system, a guiding system for determining a hitching position and a tracking system for moving a trailer.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Trailering a vehicle requires a number of different operations that are often difficult to perform by a single person. Because the hitching position is often located in a place that is difficult to view it is often best performed with two people. In many cases this is not possible. When the trailer vehicle is heavy locating the hitch often requires multiple attempts to line the tow vehicle up with the trailer. There have been several patents that have issued that allow for vertical adjustment of the hitch to secure the trailer with the tow vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,229,191 issued Oct. 9, 2001 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,793 issued Mar. 25, 2003, both to Frank T. Sargent disclose a Double-Acting Trailer Hitch. Both of these patents allow for vertical adjustment and limited angular adjustment of the tow ball. While these patents provide for some adjustment, the location of the tow vehicle to the trailer must still be placed within inches of the desired location.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,403 issued May 12, 1987 to C. Glen Livingston discloses a Hitch Adapter for Double Caster Wheel Trailer. This patent provides for limited side-to-side adjustment of the tow ball. The side-to-side adjustment provides improved tracking of the towed vehicle. While this patent provides some adjustment to the hitch ball position the locating is limited to the amount of tracking that is possible with the caster wheels of the tow vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,724 issued May 31, 2005 to Keith R. Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,431 issued Jul. 17, 2007 to W. Lee Godwin and U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,057 issued Apr. 8, 2008 to Gary Milner each disclose the use of a laser type sighting device, but none of these patents disclose using a pair of laser devices that provide distance and cross when the tow vehicle is in a preferred position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,211,467 issued Oct. 12, 1965 to S. G. Siddal and U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,549 issued Jul. 14, 1970 to M. S. De Lay both disclose a steering mechanism for steering trailing wheels. While both of these patents disclose steering mechanisms for steering trailering wheels, neither of them disclose the steering mechanism as disclosed in this application.
What is needed is a complete overhaul of trailer hitching, tracking and steering to significantly reduce the time and effort to connect and trailer and steer a trailer once it is connected to a tow vehicle. The proposed improvements provide these solutions with the introduction of a new class of Recreational Vehicle (RV) the “Wagon Style RV” with axle's front and back like most cars and trucks and most particularity like wagons, not in the center like all trailers. In addition to the above improvements the RV wagon will reduce or eliminate tow vehicle passenger bounce at road bumps and dips, RV sway problems, eight miscellaneous loose hitching parts to assemble and disassemble, weighing 40 to 50 pounds, each time the RV is hitched or unhitched to the tow vehicle, number of times the trailer front jack stand has to be cranked up and down to effect the hitching process, 400 to 900 pounds of weight on the back of the tow vehicle, exposed propane tanks and batteries in addition to the front jack stand on most trailers, skids or skid wheels at the back of the trailer and reducing the time it takes to hitch or unhitch from 15 or 20 minutes to under 2 minutes with no loose parts to assemble. The proposed improvements provide these solutions.